There are many accessories that are currently useful to bicyclists. These include removable fenders over the front and/or rear wheels, bicycle cargo carrying racks that may be positioned over either wheel, cargo-carrying racks with integral baskets, saddlebags or panniers-that are generally mounted on a cargo-carrying rack and even small trailers for carrying children or other cargo. Recently, electric motors and generators have become popular additions to the bicycle.
While all of the above-indicated accessories are known and available on the market, each accessory typically has its own mounting system by which it is attached to the bicycle. At times, the mounting system of one available accessory makes simultaneous mounting of other accessories difficult, inconvenient, or impossible. Generally, the various accessory mounts are incompatible.
Bicycle accessories of the type described above are typically secured to the frame of a bicycle using threaded fasteners driven into a braze-on, metal straps that are passed around the frame, pipe clamps, U-bolts, and the like. While these means for attaching accessories to a bicycle do have utility, they are not “quick-release”. Furthermore, other than the braze-on, these attachment means are not part of the bicycle frame itself and rely on a clamping-type mechanical grip that may fail, thereby releasing the accessory or damaging the bicycle frame or its finish. Braze-ons are themselves relatively limited in their location and number.
These attachment means are also not very adaptable. Where a member of a bicycle frame is not in an assumed orientation or where the frame member is of a different size or shape, the aforementioned prior art accessory attachment means may not easily be modified to accommodate common variations in bicycle frame size and shape.
Many bicycles currently on the market also incorporate front and/or rear suspension systems that can make it difficult to attach accessories to a bicycle. This creates serious problems in the attachment of accessories to a bicycle frame, as the traditional points of attachment may be in different frames of reference vis-à-vis the frame and the suspension.
Finally, typical prior art accessory attachment means are not generally able to withstand rigorous loading conditions. Heavy loads, such as those seen in long distance touring bicycles and in work bicycles, may easily exceed the holding abilities of most, if not all, of the aforementioned accessory attachment means. The points of attachment are only as sturdy as the mechanical fastener used to secure mounting apparatus to the frame of the bicycle.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a comprehensive and uniform system for attaching accessories directly to a bicycle frame. It is another object of the invention to provide a strong and flexible means for attaching any number of accessories to a bicycle frame.